First it was the yucca. Then it was a taro. Now it’s besan, a.k.a. chickpea flour.

We actually bought the besan before we bought the yucca and the taro. But only now does the besan have a recipe to call its own.

We’re already on our second 4-lb bag of chickpea flour. However, we’ve only now perfected a recipe that can be shared with you all to enjoy at home.

Rob and I first experimented with chickpea flour when we were living in East Brisbane, Australia. Instead of using store-bought besan, we actually made our own.

It wasn’t an easy process considering we didn’t have a quality blender. But we sprouted, dehydrated and blended our chickpeas to the best of our ability. It had a few chunks in it still, but it was a success in my eyes. I think it was in Rob’s eyes, too.

Our first time using chickpea flour turned out delicious. We made this chickpea omelet:

It was chock-full of fresh tomatoes, onions and the perfect blend of spices. It turned out so well because we had a fantastic non-stick pan.

Sadly, when we were able to purchase finely ground chickpea flour from International Market in New Orleans, we didn’t have the pan for making omelets. Our second-hand thrift store pan wasn’t nonstick. Sticky pans aren’t conducive to make chickpea omelets.

And we tried multiple times.

Finally, I tried a different method of cooking our chickpea batter mixture. Instead of frying it on the stove, I baked it. Lo and behold, baking chickpea batter in the oven instead of on the stovetop worked.

It turned out better than our nonstick pan in East Brisbane. It also worked better for us because all the food can be done cooking at the same time. No need to slave over a hot stove for 20-30 minutes making handfuls of omelets.

I didn’t use a crust the first time I made this chickpea quiche recipe. I thought that the batter and potatoes would be enough to fill our stomachs. But I was wrong.

When we finished eating the final pieces of the first low fat quiche, I could tell that Rob was hungry for more. I knew that look in his eyes. The glance at his plate. His attentive posture. The look at the stove. All of these signs told me we needed more food.

So the second time I made the recipe, I added a crust. Rob was satisfied with the amount that was made the second time. When he finished his final piece, he sat back in his chair contentedly and pushed his plate forward—two signs that his belly was full. I too was satisfied and there was even some quiche left for another day.

This recipe is a wonderful recipe.

I love this recipe for multiple reasons. The top 5 reasons are:

Versatility

Legume usage

Vegetable usage

Simple spices

Easy to prepare

Versatility

This recipe is crazy versatile. If you don’t have carrot, toss in diced capsicum. No spinach? Replace it with another green. Mix and match your favorite vegetables to add to this dish. Or just add whatever vegetables are left in your fridge! Either way, it’s difficult to get a bad mix of flavors here.

Do keep a large amount of starchy vegetable in this recipe, though. The starchy vegetable will provide calories that non-starchy vegetables aren’t abundant in. If you find yourself with a yucca, sweet potato or yam, feel free to toss that in instead. Just make sure to substitute with similar foods to keep volumes accurate.

Legume usage

Legumes are healthy part of every diet. I try to eat legumes every day. Whether I include some legumes in the form of a mixed soup, a black bean sauce, refried beans or chickpea quiche, I do my best every day.

Legumes are beneficial because they create something called “the second meal effect” This effect is the slower rise in blood sugar after eating both the meal that contains legumes AND the meal that follows. They effectively combat against insulin spikes and progression of diabetes.

Vegetable usage

It’s important to include a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruit is always easy for me to eat. Whether it be bananas, strawberries, dates or watermelon, I can eat a meal of fruit and be satisfied with the taste.

On the other hand, vegetables aren’t as palatable. It’s difficult for some people to transform vegetables into hard, crunchy food into delicious food. However, this recipe makes that part easy.

Simply grate the vegetables and toss them in. They won’t be invisible to those who turn up their nose at the thought of a carrot stick or spinach leaf. But they will be easy to eat for those who want to eat vegetables but are unsure of how to make them taste delicious.

The spices and besan flour make that part easy.

Simple spices

Speaking of spices!

I admit, I’m a spicaholic. I adore spices. I go spice crazy when I get into the kitchen. Sometimes, I add almost everything I can get my hands on that will taste good in the recipe I’m preparing.

Luckily, I’ve allowed the natural flavors of the besan flour and vegetables to shine. The spices included in this recipe are easily found in every grocery store.

Plus, there are only 3 spices to worry about: cumin, black pepper and turmeric. No need to worry about buying a dozen spices to fill up your spice cabinet.

But, hey, if you want to do that, I sure wouldn’t stop you.

Easy to prepare

I’d like to give some credit to Susan at fatfreevegan.com. Without her batter to start us off, I wouldn’t have created the recipe you’ll see below.

As long as you have the ultimate wheat recipe prepared in advance, this recipe is simple to create. It does have a few different parts, but they all come together relatively quickly. Additionally, I don’t use any advanced techniques or techniques that require any special equipment. This recipe uses techniques that everybody who is comfortable in the kitchen should know or have.

The grating may take up some time. It’s a pain. I know. But it’s more preferable than chopping carrots, and eggplant into itty bitty pieces by hand.

But as Rob and I know from experience that electric graters are fully worth the money. If slicing and grating are extremely bothersome to you, I encourage you to buy one. They’re fantastic for salads and will encourage you to include more vegetables in your diet.

Cleaning an electric grater is less work than grating by hand.

Recipe

Miss moist quiche dishes? I don’t because I make this whenever I’m craving something homey, brunchy or nutritious. Or all three. It doesn’t have an eggy taste, but you can boost that with the addition of black salt. Customize it by substituting the ingredients in the recipe with similar ingredients you have in the kitchen.

Preparation

Allow your ultimate wheat recipe to come to room temperature. This will take around 2 hours.

Roll out the dough into a large circle larger than the size of your pan. I used a 12-inch cast iron pan. Another good option is a deep pie plate. Fit the dough into the pan of your choice. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 380° F (195° C).

Whisk together the chickpea flour, flax seeds, cumin, black pepper, turmeric and baking soda in a medium bowl until homogeneous. Add the water to the flour mixture and whisk to create a smooth batter. Whisk out as many lumps as possible. Refrigerate.

Prepare the vegetables according to their descriptions. Add them to a large bowl and mix to distribute the vegetables evenly.

Take the chickpea batter from the fridge and add it to the vegetables. Mix until the veggies are well-coated. Transfer the batter-coated vegetables to the pan with the dough. Smooth out the top of the quiche to the best of your ability and place in the oven.

Bake the quiche for 45 minutes. The crust should be golden and a toothpick inserted into the filled should come out clean. Allow the quiche to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

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Updated a couple of years ago

Sara Binde

Sara is a health and nutrition coach. She advocates for a whole foods plant-based lifestyle and teaches the world how to achieve weight loss.